The Office of Tax Assessor provides assistance to residents and non-residents on matters related to assessing property, the assessment placed on a property, tax deductions, added assessments, and other questions related to establishing the value of property for taxation purposes. The actual billing and collection of taxes is a function of the Tax Collectors Office, not the Assessor.

One of the major functions of the Assessor's Office is establishing the value of all new and improved property that will be used in determining the share of taxes to be levied for the property. The Office of the Assessor maintains the assessment records and is responsible for the maintenance of the Town tax map. Records of property transfersand ownership are kept current. The Office monitors building permits as part of establishing added assessments. Because improvements to a home result in an increased value, the property tax assessment will increase with an Added Assessment tax bill which will be mailed at the end of October after the improvement is substantially completed for its intended use, as established by State law.

The Office of the Assessor processes applications for exemptions and deductions.The forms for filing for a Senior Citizen or Surviving Spouse of a Senior Citizen or Disabled deduction or Veteran or Surviving Spouse of a Veteran deduction are available in the Assessor's office or you can visit www.State.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/otherforms/lpt/ptd.pdf

100% Permanently Disabled Veterans - Qualified NJ resident war veterans having certain service connected disabiliites described in law or having been declared totally or 100% permanently disabled by the US Veterans Administration are granted full tax exemption on their dwelling house and lot.

The Assessor represents the Town in all tax appeals before the Morris County Board of Taxation and in State appeals before the Tax Court of NJ. A taxpayer must prove an assessment is unreasonable, compared to a market value standard. Your current assessment is assumed by law to be correct. You must overcome this presumption of correctness to gain an assessment reduction. For properties with assessments greater than $1,000,000 owners also have the option of filing an appeal directly with the State Tax Court of NJ in Trenton.

The deadline for filing an appeal is April 1st and December 1st for added and omitted assessments. You must provide credible evidence of 3 to 5 comparable sales of similar properties in your neighborhood. Also, you must pay the collector all taxes and municipal charges up to and including the first quarter of taxes due for the current year in order to be granted a hearing.